Rotary index



G. L.THINMAN v ROTARYZINDEX May 5, 1931.

Filed Aug. 12, 1929 m KNNNNN Patented May 5,1931

. STATES GEORGE L. e e

"rncru nme COMPANY',- A comzona'rron or oomrnc'rrcur Ro'rna'Y INDEX.

Application filed August 12, 1929. seria' no; 385,156.

7 This invention relates to animprovement on the rotary directory or index covered by U. S. Patent No. 1,496,515 and the invention has for its object to obviate a trouble sometimes arising in the use of the device ofthe patent just .referredto. The directory or in dex of the said patent comprises two reels and an index strip or web'which may be'rolled up on either of the said reels and which is In thus rapidly rolling the index web or'strip to occur on the ends of'the index web or strip when fully unwound from .one of the reels, these 'sudden'jerks sometimes breaking or V tearing the said web or strip, which, .asthe device has been commercially constructed, is of paper. It has been attempted toobviate'thisj difficulty by yieldingly connecting the ends of the index webor strip to the' reelsthrough the medium'of springs, but this yieldingcon nection has not entirely obviated the trouble referred to, but whiclihas beensatisfactorily obviated by the present invention Which provides a yielding stop, as will be hereinafter fully setforth.

vertical section similar to Fig. 3 of the drawings of the patent above referred to. Fig. 2 is a vertical section with the gearing illustrated in Fig. lomitted, to show the, present invention in detail. Fig. 3 is a detail view of a portion of an index strip adapted for coi operation with the parts shown in Fig. 2.

Fig.4 is a detail plan view of the yielding stoppingdevice and a portion of the shaft on- .40

which it is mounted.

Referring to the drawing, 11 denotes a portion of a casing within which is mounted an operating shaft 19, which, in practice, is provided with a knurled knob to-enable it to be rapidly twirled. Secured to the shaft 19 is a gear wheel 22 meshing with a smaller gear wheel 23 rotating on a stationary shaft 24, said gear wheel 23 being fixed with relat10n to a large gear wheel 25 rotating on said shaft and meshing with pinions 26 secured to shafts caused to travel very rapidly from one reel tol the other by spinning or rapidly twirling a knob on an operating shaft which is geared to the shafts on which'thereelsare mounted.

from one reel toanother a sudden jerk is liable In the accompanymg drawing Fig. l is a 28 carrying the reels27 with which the opposite ends of the index web or strip 31 are con nected. V p f This connection of the index strip with the reels 2? has beeneffected by providing said index strip .at each end with an eyelet 12,

these eyelets beingengaged by hooks 13 at the ends of springs lt'attachedto the reels, thus making a yielding connection of the said strip with the saidreels. In turningthe shaft 19 byits knob the accelerating gearing above referred to will impart a very rapid movement to the reels, and as some of the parts of the rotating mechanism of the device are purposely made somewhat heavy there will be considerable inertia to lye-overcome when the rapid travel of the index strip is to be arrested.

When the index strip 31 is fully wound up on one of the reels a-nd is entirely unwoundfrom the other freel, as shown in Fig. 2, it is desirable that the rotation of the reels should be yieldingly arrestedto-ayoid'such a sudden jerk on the index strip-as would be likely to tear thesame; v To'this end the present invem tion comprises a one-piece stopping device loosely mounted on the shaft 24 and comprisin'g two spring arms :15yconnected by a loop, 15 encirclingsaid shaft 24, the said spring arms being arrangedto overlie the convolutionsof theindex strip when said strip is fully or partly wound on thesaid reels. In the construction shownin Fig. 2 one arm of the said spring stoppingjdevice is shown as resting on thefullywoundmp strip on theupper reel,=wl1'ilethe other arm of said spring lies PATENT. err-"ice; 5

HINlVl'AN, OF NEW :HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIG-NOR .TO THE GREISTMANU- against the outer surface of the lower reel insuch a ,positionthat when the lower end of the strip is wholly un-woundfrom thelower reel a projection orhook'lg on a spring 14 attached tosaid reel will abut against the lower spring arm of the said stopping fdevice, turning it jslightlyon the shaft 24:, thus causing the other spring arm of the saidloosely mounted stopping device to press against thewound-up strip on 'the uppe'r reel. This pressingof a sprlng arm on the wound up strip servesas brake to assist 1n arresting the rotation ofitlie' reels which are gearedtogether. The hooks 13 onthe' springs 14serve a s'projections or abutments carried by the reels and which cooperate with the yielding stop afforded by said spring arms 15 and their connecting loop 15.

To prevent displacement of the-yielding stopping device longitudinally of the shaft 24 the latter is preferably provided with lugs 15 on opposite sides of the loop 15 These lugs may be struck up from said shaft and will permit only a slight movement of the stopping device longitudinally of said shaft, as will be obvious.

From this it will be understood that the said two-arm stopping device affords a yielding stop which will arrest the rotation of the reels when a projection or hook 13 abuts against an end of either of the arms 15 of the said yielding stopping device; and this yielding stopping device, in arresting the travel of the index strip, will act in such a manner tha there will be no danger of tearing said strip, as will be understood.

In the successful operation of the rotary index, to which the invention relates, a certain amount of slack of the index strip between the reels is necessary to permit said strip to run freely between the reels in rapidly running said strip from one reel to the other. When the end of the strip is reached at one reel the momentum sometimes causes the end part of the strip to be doubled and jammed by backlash, and this trouble, heretofore occurring, is prevented by the stopping device of this invention.

The invention is not to be understood as being limited to the specific construction of the yielding stopping device, herein described, or the use of the same in connection with hooks on springs attached tothe reels to afford stopping projections, as variations of these features might be made within the limits of mechanical skill, without departing from the scope of this invention as defined by the claims hereunto appended.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patentz- 1. In a rotary index, the combination with an index strip and reels on which said strip may be rolled, and from one to the other of which it may be caused to travel rapidly, of a one-piece yielding stopping member comprising two spring arms partly overlying said reels, said arms being connected by a loop, a shaft on which said loop is loosely mounted, and yielding abutments carried by said reels, said abutments being arranged to come in contact with the ends of said spring arms; whereby, when the said index strip is fully unwound from a reel, a yielding abutment on the empty reel will. strike against the end of a spring arm of said stopping member and will turn said loop slightly on said shaft thus causing the other arm of said stopping member to exert a braking pressure on the wound-up index strip on the other reel.

2. In a rotary index, the combination with an index strip and reels on which said strip may be rolled, and from one to the other of which it may be caused to travel rapidly, of a one-piece yielding stopping member comprising two spring arms partly overlying said reels, said arms being connected by a loop, a shaft on which said loop is loosely mounted, and yielding abutments carried by said reels, said abutments consisting of springs attached to said reels and having, at their free ends, hooks arranged to come in contact with the ends of said spring arms; whereby, when the said index strip is fully unwound from a reel, a yielding abutment on the empty reel will strike against the end of a spring arm of said stopping member and will turn said loop slightly on said shaft thus causing the other arm of said stopping me1nher to exert a braking pressure on the woundup index strip on the other reel.

3. In a rotary index, the combination with an index strip and reels on which the said strip may be rolled and from one to the other of which it may be caused to travel rapidly, of a yielding stopping device for arresting the travel of the said index strip when one end thereof is fully unwound from one of said reels, said stopping device consisting of a loosely mounted member having two spring arms partly overlying said reels and (:0- operating with projections carried by said reels, and one of which projections abuts against the end of one of said spring arms when said index strip is fully unwound from a reel, a shaft on which said member is mounted, said shaft having lugs to retain said member in place;

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

GEORGE L. HINMAN. 

